Valkey
Open-source in-memory key/value store, forked from Redis and run under the Linux Foundation.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Linux, macOS, Self-hosted
Is Valkey free?
Yes, free and open source
- License:
- BSD-3-Clause
Checked on Valkey's site Nov 5, 2026
Switch from Valkey to
All 2
Redis Open SourceOpen source
Redis CloudStarting price: $5 a month (Essentials)
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 2
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Valkey
Valkey is an in-memory key/value database used for caching, session storage, queues, leaderboards and, with persistence turned on, as a primary data store. It started in 2024 as a community fork of Redis 7.2 after Redis moved away from a BSD licence, and it is now a Linux Foundation project that stays under the BSD 3-Clause licence. It speaks the same protocol and commands as Redis OSS, so most existing Redis clients and apps work with little or no change. It runs as a single server or as a cluster with replication and failover, and recent releases have focused on multi-threaded I/O and lower memory use. Valkey itself is free; you run it yourself on Linux or macOS (Docker images and distro packages are available), or pay a cloud provider such as AWS, Google Cloud, Aiven or Heroku for a managed version. Windows is only supported through WSL.
Best for: Teams that want a Redis-compatible cache or data store under a permissive open-source licence.
Pros and cons
What works
- BSD 3-Clause licence with Linux Foundation governance
- Drop-in compatible with Redis OSS clients and commands
- Offered as a managed service by many major cloud providers
- Built-in clustering, replication and failover
Why people leave
- No native Windows build; Windows needs WSL
- No single vendor behind it; paid support comes from third-party cloud and consulting firms
- Data must fit in memory, which gets expensive at large sizes
Valkey vs Redis Open Source and Redis Cloud
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Valkey | Redis Open Source | Redis Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source | Free plan + paid |
| Verified price | — | — | $5 a month (Essentials) |
| Free plan | Free app | Free app | Yes, up to 30 MB |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Self-hosted | Linux, macOS, Self-hosted | Web |
Top Valkey alternatives
See all 2- 1Redis Open Source68.8
The original project Valkey forked from, now with built-in search, JSON and vector features under AGPLv3.
- 2Redis Cloud50.5
Fully managed Redis from Redis Ltd., if you'd rather not run and patch servers yourself.
Why people left Valkey
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Valkey, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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Valkey: common questions
What is Valkey?
Valkey: Open-source in-memory key/value store, forked from Redis and run under the Linux Foundation. Best for teams that want a Redis-compatible cache or data store under a permissive open-source licence. Available for Linux and macOS, and you can host it yourself.
Is Valkey free?
Yes. Valkey is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
Is Valkey open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at valkey-io/valkey. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does Valkey run on?
Valkey is available for Linux, macOS and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Valkey?
The highest-ranked Valkey alternatives right now are Redis Open Source and Redis Cloud. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Valkey vs Redis Open Source: what's the difference?
Both Valkey and Redis Open Source are free and open source. Both run on Linux and macOS.